Initial 2.7-km stretch is the first of 36 km planned. Rapidways will shave commute times and can easily be converted to LRT someday.

Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray speaks at the official opening of the region's new separated bus lanes on Highway 7. The platforms are equipped with shelters, fare payment systems and next-bus-arrival information delivered electronically.

It doesn’t have subways yet. But that’s not stopping York Region from adding serious sex appeal to its Viva express bus brand in a bid to entice car-centric commuters onto transit.

The first 2.7-km stretch of a 36-km network of dedicated bus lanes, known as Rapidways, will open at 8 a.m. Sunday — four months ahead of schedule — on Highway 7, between Bayview Ave. and Highway 404 in Richmond Hill.

“In our area, people have four cars in their garage. It’s pretty hard to convince them to go on a bus or another mode of transit. So to some extent we made sure it was sexy,” said York Region chair Bill Fisch.

“More importantly, it’s good value and good timing. We want to make sure they have a comfortable ride, an efficient ride, so they can leave the car at home,” he said.

Depending on the length of the commute, bus rapid transit could shave up to 15 minutes off travel times while allowing riders to work on wi-fi equipped buses, he said.

York hasn’t forgotten about subways though, said Fisch. The Viva buses will eventually connect commuters to the Spadina line extension opening in York Region in 2016 — and one day to stops along the Yonge line that will be extended into Richmond Hill.

The Viva network has been designed to be easily converted to LRT once ridership growth exceeds bus rapid transit (BRT) capacity, said VivaNext president Mary-Frances Turner.

The Rapidways are two lanes — one in each direction — running down the middle of the road. On Highway 7 they are bounded by three lanes of car traffic. The road was widened so no car lanes were lost.

The new transit also comes with significant streetscape improvements designed to transform bedroom communities into stand-alone urban environments. Wide sidewalks and green dedicated bike lanes have been added to both sides of the street, where previously there were none, she said.

The blue Viva express buses, stops and lanes have been carefully branded to attract riders who could choose between a car and a bus, said Turner.

Since Viva’s launch in 2005, the idea of branded express buses has been copied around the Toronto region. Mississauga now has its Mi-Way brand, Brampton has Züm and Durham has launched PULSE.

Each of the 100 Montreal-built Nova buses in York’s new fleet is equipped with signal priority. If the bus is running late, it can automatically hold a green light or prompt a signal change — a feature the driver can also instigate.

A second 3.9-km stretch of Rapidway will open next year on Highway 7. By 2017, there will be similar bus lanes along Yonge St. and Davis Dr. in Newmarket, as well as more of Highway 7.

Viva’s ridership has grown from about 17 million to 30 million boardings a year. Turner says she’s confident the service is attracting the choice riders it was designed to convert to transit, because its growth has exceeded the population boom.

The VivaNext Rapidways were built with $1.4 billion in provincial funding from Metrolinx and $320 million from York Region.

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